Avoiding the Seamy Side: Tips For Asian Travel
My three companions and I are walking in a city in South Korea,
looking for a place to eat and rest after an afternoon of
wandering. Shopkeepers are closing their stores up, people are
heading home and the sun is starting to set. Nightlife hasn't
started, but the afternoon's commerce is done. As we make our
way down the street a fifty-ish man pedals a bicycle in our
direction, his left hand extended as if to greet us. Instead of
giving a friendly wave, as he passes us he gropes one of my
companions-a tall blonde girl in her early 20s. None of us can
quite believe what we've just seen, but it's a side life in Asia
we foreigners are soon forced to deal with-the opposite of that
first 'ultra-polite' impression many Americans get of Japan and
Korea.
Coming face to face with the seamier side of the east can be a
little bit of a shock, especially in Japan, where riders on the
subway must deal with gropers called 'chikan', men who board
crowded trains to fondle young women, especially school-age
girls in uniform. The chikan problem is getting worse; there is
now a small organization of these men, known as Chikan
Tomo-no-Kai: the Brotherhood of Gropers. Subway riders are fed
up with the chikan, some to the point where spontaneous
vigilante attacks are happening on the subway, those singled out
as gropers have received severe beatings.
In spite of our encounter with the bicycle groper in Gunsan
City, South Korea doesn't seem to have the same level of problem
with gropers. Instead, electronic voyeurism is the big issue.
South Korean voyeurs using cell phone-mounted cameras created
such a problem that in November of 2003 the government there
passed a law requiring a mandatory beep tone to accompany all
pictures taken with cell phone cameras.
The problems of groping and electronic voyeurism aren't limited
to Asia. America has its own problems with sexual harassment and
privacy, but American travelers are often caught off guard by
how blatant many of the offenses are. They happen in public
areas, in full view of anyone, whereas America's sexual
harassment and invasion of privacy incidents are more hidden. In
spite of the blatant nature of these kinds of problems in the
Far East, travelers can go prepared for the unexpected by
keeping a few key things in mind:
Travel Together-it's best to travel in pairs in a strange
place. In Japan and Korea, there are many shopping and party
districts where people gather in large groups. If you must
travel alone, stick to places with a lot of people and be wary
of how much alcohol you drink.
Dress Conservatively-cell phone camera voyeurs are fond of
something known as the "upskirt" which is simply sticking a cell
phone under a woman's dress. By the time you know you're being
photographed, it's usually too late, and your picture may well
make the rounds across the internet on sites that feature these
kinds of illegal pictures. If you are concerned about this
happening to you, slacks are best.
Stay Along The Wall--Subway gropers are usually in the center of
the crowd. If you can find a spot where you can put your back to
a wall chances are you won't be a victim. You'll be able to make
eye contact with and identify everyone around you--something the
subway groper definitely does NOT want.
Know the Right Phrases-if you are being harassed, groped or
photographed, what will you do to call attention to your
problem? In Japan, the phrase "Dame-yo!" (dah-may-yo) means
"that's totally inappropriate" and gets a lot of attention if
it's said in a loud voice in a crowded subway train. If you are
having photo voyeur trouble in South Korea, you can shout SOON
GYUNG (soon- ghee- young) which means "Police!"